Eating chocolate can improve your maths

Mental arithmetic can become easier after eating chocolate, scientists have found.

Researchers testing the impact of different foods on brain performance found that flavanols - a compound found in cocoa - increases the flow of blood into the brain.

This they claim makes certain mental functions, like basic maths, easier to do. It also means people feel less mentally drained after a long day.

The team from Northumbria University suggests that students who binge on chocolate while studying for exams are therefore likely to do better.

It also suggests that those who binge on chocolate will be better at adding up the number of calories they have just consumed.